Blossoms That Flow In The Wind
by GhostlyGuest
Summary: Sakura had always known she was the weak-link of the team, but it hadn't hit until that moment in Wave, standing in fear on that stupid stone bridge. She was terrified, and knew that if she didn't change, didn't get stronger, her blood would stain the ground beneath her. She no longer cared, as long as she survived. Sakura-centric Strong!Sakura slight-AU Rating May Change Later


Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto, or any of the material that is recognizable in this story. Anything that is different from the manga/anime that is unfamiliar is of my own creativity.

Note: This story will be slightly-AU, with a stronger Sakura than in the Naruto-verse. This story will focus on her growth as a person, and as a ninja, As I wish she had been. This fanfic is my own, and do not appreciate mean people/flamers. Helpful Criticism is great, and reviews of how the story is progressing would be a delight.

Enjoy!

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It wasn't often that Sakura would sometimes wish her life had gone differently. Like following her parents' advice and going to the nice civilian school, or apprenticing under the elderly women whom ran a local tea shop, teaching girls her (current) age and younger to perform tea ceremonies and serve customers both the wonders of tea and food. Another option she could have followed through was to marry a higher- and most likely, older- ranking husband within the civilian hierarchy of The Land of Fire. Instead, Sakura told her parents she wanted to be a kunoichi, learning and training at the ninja academy located in their village, Konohagakure. Far in the past, all Sakura ever wanted to do was chase boys and become a strong ninja to protect her village. That feeling of overwhelming joy and accomplishment when she was able to beat some students throughout the different ninja arts throughout her years at the academy, that sense of anger and disappointment in herself when she lost…

Those feelings had been erased and replaced by cold, heart-wrenching panic-inducing fear that had been ripped through her body only seconds ago. Every wish she made toward being a ninja slipped away, instead her thoughts replacing those childhood smiles and laughter with a full stop, leaking into the back of her subconscious. Instead her mind was yelling, screaming at her to do something, other than just freezing where she stood (_Run, run Sakura, run! Move_!).

Her eyes glittered with a mix of water, salt, and fear that tore through the fog upon the bridge, the coolness of both the weather and the water soaking beneath her clothes and seep into her skin. Sakura stood upon a bridge, where Team 7's first mission outside of Konohagakure lead them to helping a bridge-builder in the Land of Wave.

Sakura stood awkwardly hunched, a kunai in hand (_cold, glittering, unrelenting weight_) readying herself to defend the cranky bridge-builder Tazuna, per Kakashi-sensei's orders. Her breathing was quiet, but as she breathed in and out, it was ragged with fear. Sakura's eyes watched as Kakashi-sensei stood away from her, facing Momochi Zabuza, previously a Seven-Swordsman from Kirigakure no Sato. In present day, he is a missing-nin, a dangerous ninja who betrayed his village, a man (_Shinobi, he is a Shinobi_) who would cut down anyone and anything in his way.

Looking at him through her eyes, Sakura felt smaller, meeker than her 13 year-old self, as his body was tall and imposing, the placement of his gear intimidating, his arm muscles that, if Sakura were to trapped in them, could snap her neck easily. Sakura stared, as Kakashi-sensei and the missing-nin fight, their bodies moving faster and faster through the air.

Sakura forgot how to breathe. The stress from being alone to protect their client, her sensei in a fierce battle from which last time he barely won, and Sasuke-kun fighting the masked apprentice from the first fight with Zabuza, whom had merely made the man seem dead, but not quite. The masked nin (_a boy perhaps? The mask they wore created a deeper effect as they spoke)_ held Sasuke-kun further away, in a dome that appeared to be made of ice.

She was afraid of him too.

His build no bigger than Sasuke-kun's, his lithe body both faster and deadlier than her teammates despite their training. He threw senbon, performed ice ninjutsu, and moved as though he were apart of an ocean, forever moving and changing. He was an unknown, and that is what scared her most. He listened to every order given to him by his teacher, and that is what struck cold fear into her heart.

_Zabuza could give the order, and her life would be forfeit, her blood staining the stone bridge on which she stood- useless, helpless._

She wished Naruto would never had talked Hokage-sama into giving them a C-ranked mission, wishing that she could go back and tell herself that it wasn't a good idea, no matter how excited she had been to do something other than menial tasks for civilians. She wanted to go home, change into her nicest pajamas, and crawl under her covers, hoping to wake up and pretending that this never happened.

Her heart and thoughts stumbled, upon the realization that, _she didn't care if Tazuna died, or Kakashi-sensei, or even if Sasuke-kun perished, she could leave them for dead and not feel a thing._ Sakura's heart constricted, the supposed Will of Fire burning out of her soul. The desire to protect others, soon withered to _protect yourself, survive_._ No one else matters._ The promise to love her village dampened, _Only you can help yourself, look at where your village sent you, _it tore out her mind.

Sakura's eyes widened further at the realization that this is how they feel, how the missing nin fighting her team felt, how they carried on with their lives while only having to protect and care for themselves. Her breathing heaved, causing her kunai to shake in her hand.

_She was no better than they were._

She continued to watch, standing there in front of the older man, continuing her feign attempts to have the skill to protect a civilian from a much older, and more skilled man than she ever knew besides her sensei. The sounds of yelling in the distance came from where Sasuke (-_kun or -san, she didn't know how she felt anymore_) was fighting. The faint but powerfully annoying yells sounded liked the Naruto. Finally, Sakura's eyes cleared and her breathing regulated as she figured out a plan.

_Sasuke and Naruto will be okay fighting that boy, Kakashi and Zabuza dropped off the bridge several seconds ago. The fog was lighter, but still present. _

Sakura's eyes swept back towards the beginning of the bridge, supplies spilled across the ground, the fog blocking where it truly began, and found nothing blocking an escape. Her hand clenched around the kunai, her teeth grimacing lightly as she closed her eyes.

_All she had to do was run. _

But if her team survived, she would be severely disciplined, if not removed from the ninja career for abandoning her mission and her team.

_But all she cared about was surviving. _

In those few seconds, her eyes reopened, sharpening into focus the plan she laid out in her mind. Her body swept sideways, her held tilting back so she could focus both in front of her, and talk to Tazuna-san. His eyes widened in surprise at her movement, and he backed up a step. She looked him in the eye before refocusing in the other direction.

And finally, she spoke; causing the old mans breath to hitch. Her voice barely caressed the loud noises of weaponry and yelling from different directions.

"At my say, start back to the village as fast as possible. I'll follow and get us back there." She surprised herself, never would have thought she would be the one making rash decisions on her team.

What Sakura couldn't see, was the shaky breath the man had taken, followed by a swallow so big he felt himself almost choke. He looked back at the girl he had first insulted, and continued to be slightly mean since they had met. His eyes quickly glimpsed left and right, looking for any possible way- _anything, anything at all_, but knowing there was nothing left for him to do besides listen. So, he nodded in acceptance, despite her not giving him a choice.

Sakura kept breathing, her eyes following the sounds of crashing metal and breaking ice. She swept her eyes back to where her sensei had disappeared to, and hearing faint, but explosive fighting once more, her left leg slid back towards Tazuna, her bright green eyes hardening, and acceptance flew into her mind.

_"Now."_

_And Tazuna ran. She followed closely behind, watching everything surrounding them, readying herself for a sword to her heart, the grip on her kunai turning her pale skin whiter. _

_Sakura would protect the client, and incase her teammates managed to beat their enemies, would be seen as a good ninja. Tazuna would think she was doing this for his sake. He was wrong._

_She would selfishly let them all die_

_Just so she could survive._

She heard skittering as they got closer to her objective, and she grabbed Tazuna's arm and swung him back behind her, both hands now holding kunai. The man gave her a bewilded look as she backed him against an edge of the bridge. His voice stuck between a whisper and shout, "What do you think your-" "Shh, there are others on the bridge." The quiet voice that choked from her throat shut him up, his body willingly contorting against the hardened stone at his back.

His eyes met hers when she glanced at him, "What are we going to do?" hissed out of his mouth. Her eyes were hard as she stared at him, her entire face stuck in one of determination that covered the fear. A quirk in her lips and sharpened eyes made his lungs stop producing oxygen. The female ninja's face softened and a small smile appeared.

Sakura stared up at the man. "I'm going to do what I do best." She took a few steps away from Tazuna, putting herself towards the thinner middle of the bridge.

_She would survive this, even if it meant getting someone else killed._

Her eyes stared toward the direction where Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza were now battling it out on the bridge. Her mouth widened, her hands cupping her mouth, and seizing all the fear and letting it out in one big, horrifying, uneven panicked scream that brought Tazuna's neck hairs to stand.

"_SENSEI!"_

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_Until Next Time~ Ghostly Guest_ :D


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